Page 80 of Line of Resistance

Becky’s brows jumped up her forehead at the sight of Nate invading their space. “Good morning.”

Eloise relaxed her posture as much as she could manage. “Good morning. How is everything?”

“Everything’s fine.” Becky answered her, but her eyes stayed on Nate. “How’s everything with you?”

Eloise plastered on the same smile she’d been wearing for years, keeping her tone light and confident. “I’m great. Excited to be back.”

There was no reason to tell Becky how she really was. That she was equal parts worried and excited. That her life was a conflicting jumble of goodness and problems, somehow all tangled together into one intertwined and interconnected cluster of emotions. All of which she would have to deal with later.

Now she just needed to be a source of calm confidence. If she seemed unworried then everyone else would be too.

Hopefully.

“Is there anything pressing I need to deal with this morning?” Eloise fell right into her normal routine, fully intending to treat this day like any other.

“We have the school spirit rally at nine thirty, but other than that it’s a pretty calm day.” Becky was still eyeing Nate. “Is there anything I should know?”

Eloise opened her mouth, ready to claim everything was absolutely fine. But before she could ease Becky’s concern, Nate stepped in front of her, cutting off her view of the school secretary.

“For now, I’ll be screening everyone who comes in the building.” Nate dished out the first of his directions with a level of authority that made it seem like he didn’t expect to be questioned.

Too bad for him.

Eloise grabbed him by the arm, dragging Nate into her office and closing the door, leaving Becky staring, open-mouthed, after them.

She crossed her arms and shot him a glare. “What are you doing?”

“I’m keeping you and everyone else in this building safe.” Nate didn’t back down. “You of all people know how important it is to be prepared. Your staff needs to know they should be more cautious than normal right now.”

Eloise continued to scowl, unhappy with what he was proposing. “I don’t want them to worry.”

Nate moved closer, his voice dropping to a softer tone. “And I don’t want you to worry. Does that mean I should start keeping information from you?”

Eloise held her scowl a few seconds longer before grabbing the door handle with a groan. “You suck.”

Nate caught her around the middle, leaning into her ear before she could get the door open. “Is that a request?” His lips trailed over her neck, pausing at the pulse point to give her skin a soft pull with his mouth. The sensation shot straight between her thighs and her nipples pulled tight under the fabric of her blouse. There was no ignoring the suggestion in his words and no missing his meaning when his tongue flicked against her sensitive flesh.

This was going to be one hell of a long day.

Eloise wiggled in his hold, halfheartedly trying to move away. “You said you were going to behave.”

“I did not. You told me to behave. I didn’t agree.” Nate pressed a final kiss to the side of her neck. “But I promise to behave when the door is open.”

“Good.” She yanked open the only thing that would keep her sane today and breathed out a sigh that was half relief and half frustration when Nate took a step back, putting a respectable amount of distance between them.

“We should have a conversation.” Eloise smiled at Becky, hoping it would keep her friend from panicking prematurely. “Can you come into my office?”

Becky’s suspicious gaze moved from her to Nate, but she joined them anyway, staying quiet while Eloise spent the next fifteen minutes explaining some of what they’d dealt with over the past few days. Of course, she left out the gunfire, choosing instead to water down the exact happenings.

Even with only the less worrying version to go on, Becky still appeared panicked.

“So what if those men who ran you off the road and stole your car come here?” She wrung both hands in front of her. “What will we do then?”

“That’s why I’m here.” Nate offered up an answer. “There’s also a whole team of men surrounding the main entrance and getting set up to monitor the perimeter. If anyone tries to come inside, we will see them.”

Becky looked unimpressed. “And who exactly are you?”

Nate’s posture suddenly relaxed and an easy smile worked across his face. Even though she knew exactly what was happening, the change was sudden and a little unnerving..

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